Opinion: The Case for Backing Egypt’s Military

American Enterprise Institute scholar John Bolton on why the U.S. should back the army in Egypt—before it’s too late. Photos: Associated Press

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... or eight assistant relationship with ... Egypt is under review but has not been cut off ... a decision to cut off aid ... a decision to cut off the tee ... would be announced if it were to be announced after the review incomplete ... welcome to Opinion Journal I'm Mary Kissel that was White House deputy press secretary Josh earnest saying that ... the U in the US is decided ... not to suspend aid to Egypt into its military ... that got American Enterprise Institute scholar and former ambassador to the UN John Bolton joining us now from Washington to discuss this question ... John your op ed in the paper this morning suggests that you ... actually agree with this White House ... why ... well I think it's important to keep the military assistance go and although it's somewhat un clear exactly where the White House is gonna go with that and it's important because the United States as ... key interest in a stable government in Egypt ... up holding the camp David peace accord with Israel ... keeping the Sinai free of terrorists and ... weapons smugglers to terrorists ... and keeping the Suez Canal opened and I think the military ... it is ultimately the most likely force in Egypt to be able to accomplish those objectives ... I serve I don't think the Muslim Brotherhood government is anything we could put our trust in ... the neck investor honey you square this with the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood was democratically elected what is it saving the Egyptian people and those millions of Egyptians that supported the Brotherhood ... at the ballot box ... when you come out with an argument like this ... well I think the Brotherhood day those parliamentary and in the presidential elections did win free and fair votes note no doubt about that I think ... but once they were in office they were conducting what I think most outside observers would agree was a creeping coup d'etat ... to make sure that they never left out this bad now that they again then I think ... that is the kind of approach and some people call that one person one vote one time ... that led many millions of of of Egyptians to go into the streets to demonstrate against the Muslim Brotherhood ... government that democracies more than just one election one-time its culture its a way of life and I think ... the Brotherhood has demonstrated it had no intention of allowing that space for other citizens of Egypt but why is this such a zero sum game either back the military ... or back the Brotherhood isn't there room for some kind of ... balance between the two ... well I don't see it if you if you look at the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood you know it is not a political party as we in the United States understand that term it's really it's an armed militia its an ARM theocracy ... and it really reminds me of what the Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson once said of the ... Communist Party and the United States he said ... it's a state within the state ... and I think that characterizes the Brotherhood idle think they were ever going to accept ... that any Egyptian government they didn't control and and that's why we're in a ... unfortunate situation we are now but it was gonna be one force or the other ... is gonna prevail and and I think ... that's what we're saying is the Obama administration actually passively backing the Brotherhood by ... doing things like canceling military exercises with the Egyptian military ... yes I think President Obama has had his thumb on the scale of the Brotherhood relief from the time they can adopt agility gave his famous Cairo speech ... in the spring of two thousand I he insisted that representatives of the Brotherhood ... be in the audience even though was an outlawed at that point I think if you ask many pro democracy liberal Egyptians ... they would say that Ambassador Anne Patterson has been on the Brotherhood side and so was present Obama it's really ... I think we've where they misinterpret where the bulk of American opinion is that I think that's what most Egyptians believe I'm fortunately ambassador says this repudiate the Bush agenda of installing ... democracies around the world because what you seem to be arguing here in Egypt ... is that we should get behind the strong man because ... that's the best for us foreign policy at the time ... said that democracy is time ... guy well I think that's what American foreign policy has to be were not the platonic guardians of the world we look out for our own interests and the fact is democracy ... does take time to evolve I wouldn't say your ... covered itself with glory when it comes to democracy in the twentieth century ... it's a long painful process and I think in the meantime ... the best the US can do is support stability in Egypt which is also consistent with their own interest ... consistent with our own interests American Enterprise